Jack London (1876-1916)
| Jack London | American Political and Cultural History |
| -1876 Birth of Jack London in
San Francisco, CA -"Jack was raised through infancy by an ex-slave, Virginia Prentiss, who would remain a major maternal figure while the boy grew up." (SM) |
-Alexander
Graham Bell invents the Telephone. |
| -1892 "As an adolescent, London worked at various hard labor jobs, pirated for oysters on San Francisco Bay, served on a fish patrol to capture poachers, sailed the Pacific on a sealing ship, joined Kelly's Army of unemployed working men, hoboed around the country, and returned to attend high school at age 19." (OCL) | -"According to the Almanac of American History, on 24 March 1883 "Telephone service is put into operation between Chicago and New York" (352). The Library of Congress, however, puts the date at 1892 and includes this picture of Alexander Graham Bell at the opening of the line between the two cities." (DMC) |
| -1893 Jack London’s first story published “Story of a Typhoon off the Coast of Japan” (SM) | -Financial panic of 1893 -"In Hawaii, Queen Liliuokalani's government is overthrown; Hawaii becomes a U. S. protectorate despite President Cleveland's opposition." (DMC) |
| -Jack
London's application for admission to the University of California, Berkeley,
May 14, 1896. |
-William
McKinley is inaugurated as president. "After being elected to a
second term in 1900, he is assassinated in 1901." - "Backing away from earlier pro-business decisions, the Supreme Court votes 5-4 that railroads are subject to the Sherman Anti-Trust Act." (DMC) |
| -1899 "He began publishing in the Overland Monthly in 1899. From that point he was a highly disciplined writer, who would produce over fifty volumes of stories, novels, and political essays." (SM) | -"Philippine insurrection (1899-1902); Howells and Twain oppose U. S. involvement. The Anti-Imperialist League is formed on February 17." (DMC) |
| -1900 "London's first marriage was to Bess Maddern, with whom he had two daughters, Joan and Bess." (SM) | -"September. In the worst natural disaster to date in
U. S. history, a hurricane sweeps over
Galveston, Texas, killing an estimated 6,000-7,000 of its 36,000 inhabitants." - 12 April. "Foraker Act confirms Puerto Rico as an unconsolidated territory of the United States." (DMC) |
| -1901 "Joan London Miller, the first daughter of Jack London and his first wife, Bessie M. London, was born January 15, 1901." (PR) | -"On September 6th President McKinley shot by Leon Czolgoz at the Pan-American Exhibition in Buffalo, N. Y. He dies of his wounds on September 14 and Roosevelt is sworn in as president on the same day." (DMC) |
| -1902 "Becky (Bess) London Fleming, the younger daughter of Jack and Bessie M. London, was born October 20, 1902." (PR) | -"The United Mine Workers go on strike and the owners refuse to recognize the union; as tensions mount and negotiations fail, Roosevelt calls the two sides to the White House and successfully handles the situation." -"Newlands Reclamation Act authorizes the building of irrigation
dams across the West." |
| -1903 "The
Call of the Wild" brought him lasting fame. - "Many of his short stories deserve to be called classics, as does his critique of capitalism and poverty in The People of the Abyss." (SM) |
-3 November "After the Hay-Herran Treaty with the Colombian government fails to resolve the issue of sovereignty over the proposed Canal Zone, a bloodless uprising occurs and, on November 4, Panamanian independence is declared. On 18 November, the Hay-Buneau-Varilla treaty gives the U. S. permanent rights to a 10-mile-wide strip of land in return for $10 million and annual payments." (DMC) |
| -1904 "He was among the first writers to work with the movie industry, and saw a number of his novels made into films. His novel The Sea-Wolf became the basis for the first full-length American movie. He was also one of the first celebrities to use his endorsement for commercial products in advertising, including dress suits and grape juice." (SM) | -"The Socialist Party nominates Eugene V. Debs for president.
-The Republicans nominate Roosevelt, who wins handily (by 2.5 million votes)
over Democrat Alton B. Parker." -"New York passes the first speed law for automobiles: 10 mph in cities, 20 mph in the countryside". -Russo-Japanese War. (DMC) |
-1905 "Following an affair
with "New Woman," he divorced Bess. In 1905 he married his "Mate
Woman," who became the persona for many of his female characters
and who avidly joined him on his many travel ventures." (PR) |
-5 September. "Russo-Japanese War ends with treaty signed
at Portsmouth, N. H." -"Industrial Workers of the World union organized in Chicago." (DMC) |
| -1907 "London's long voyage (two years) across the Pacific in a small boat provided material for books and stories about Polynesian and Melanesian cultures." (PR) | -21 March. "U. S. Marines are sent to help put down a
revolution in Honduras." -Panic of 1907. "Financier J. P. Morgan manages the crisis, importing $100 million in gold to bolster U. S. currency." -"Immigration law excludes Japanese workers." (DMC) |
| -1908 "He clearly accepted the Social Darwinism and scientific racism prevalent during his time, yet he seem troubled that the "inevitable white man," as he called him, would destroy the rich cultures of various native groups he had encountered over the years." (PR) | -"Mann Act adopted by Congress to stop the transportation of women across state lines for "immoral purposes" and to stem the importation of European women to work in American brothels. This law becomes known as the "white slave traffic act," and in the next few years, alarm about the "white slave trade" grows rapidly." (DMC) |
| -1909 "Strike Methods. American and Australian," "If Japan Wakens China," "The Strength of the Strong," "Nothing That Ever Came to Anything," "That Dead Men Rise Up Never." (SM) | -"W. E. B. DuBois (1868-1963) founds the National Association
for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)." - "Bakelite, an early form of plastic, is patented." (DMC) |
| -1910 "The
Scarlet Plague," "Theft," "The Abysmal" "Brute,"
"The Assassination Bureau," "War." (SM) -"In 1909, '10 and '11 he bought more land, and in 1911 moved from Glen Ellen to a small ranch house in the middle of his holdings. He rode horseback throughout the countryside, exploring every canyon, glen and hill top. And he threw himself into farming - scientific agriculture - as one of the few justifiable, basic, and idealistic ways of making a living. A significant portion of his later writing." (PR) |
-"In Osawatomie, Kansas, Theodore Roosevelt calls for
"a square deal" in a speech that will become a rallying cry for
the Progressive Movement." -"Mexican revolution against Dictator Porfirio Diaz." (DMC) |
| -1911 "The Meat" "The Stampede to Squaw Creek" "Shorty Dreams" "The Man on the Bank" "The Race for Number Three" "A Son of the Sun" "The Proud Goat of Aloysius Pankburn" "The Jokers of New Gibbon" "The Goat Man of Fuatino" ("The Devils of Fuatino") "The Joy of Small-Boat Sailing" "A Little Account with Swithin Hall" "The Prodigal Father" "The Mexican" "A Goboto Night” "The Pearls of Parlay" (SM) | -"Finding the Standard Oil Company to be in restraint
of trade, the Supreme Court orders it and and the American Tobacco Company
to be dissolved." -"Initially denied statehood because it permits the recall of judges, Arizona drops the provision and is admitted as a state." (DMC) |
| -1913 "The
Valley of the Moon," "The
Mutiny of the Elsinore." - "By August 1913, London had spent approximately $80,000 (in pre-World War I dollars), and the project was nearly complete. On August 22 final cleanup got underway and plans were laid for moving the Londons' specially designed, custom-built furniture and other personal belongings into the mansion. That night - at 2 a. m. word came that the house was burning. By the time the Londons arrived on the scene the house was ablaze in every corner, the roof had collapsed, and even a stack of lumber some distance away was burning. Nothing could be done." (PR) |
-"The Sixteenth Amendment is ratified; it provides for
a graduated national income tax." -"Henry Ford adopts the conveyor-belt technology developed by the meat-packers." (DMC) |
| -1914 "The Little Lady of
the Big House" -" London went to Mexico as a war correspondent covering the role of U.S. troops and Navy ships in the Villa-Carranza revolt." (SM) |
-"In August
Germany declares war on Russia and France; Great Britain declares war
on Germany as German troops invade Belgium. Japan also declares war on Germany."
- 20 April. "Seven months into a strike at the Rockefeller-owned Colorado Fuel and Iron Corporation, after the National Guard has been called in to break the strike, machine guns begin firing on the workers' tent city and fire breaks out, killing 20 men, women, and children. This incident, known as the Ludlow massacre, gives rise to demonstrations across the country, and by the time President Woodrow Wilson sends in federal troops to restore order, 66 people have been killed." (DMC) |
| -1915 The Star Rover, The Acorn Planter, -"In 1915 and again in 1916 Charmian persuaded him to spend several months in Hawaii, where he seemed better able to relax and more willing to take care of himself." (PR) |
-May 7th "Lusitania is sunk without warning, losing 1198 out of 1924
passengers. Although tensions run high even after Germany offers condolences,
Wilson says, "There is such a thing as a man being too proud to fight."
The U. S. demands reparations, but Germany delays." (DMC) |
| - "On November 22, 1916
Jack London died on his ranch in Napa Valley of renal failure. His writings
became translated in several dozen languages, and he remains more widely
read in some countries outside of the United States today than in his home
country." -"He drank himself into a stupor regularly, chain-smoked 60 Russian Imperiales a day and, as his body began to weaken, took a stupefying amount of drugs. London's eating habits were as suspect -- his favorite dish was barely cooked duck drenched in a sauce made from the bird's blood." (DCS) |
-"Workman's Compensation Act enacted by Congress." - "In Mexico, Pancho Villa kills 18 American mining engineers whom he has forced off a train.Two months later, he raids towns in New Mexico with a force of 1500 men, killing 17 Americans. General John Pershing pursues Villa across the border in a two-year unsuccessful effort to capture him." (DMC) |
Sources:
(DMC) Campbell, Donna American Literature Timeline.
Seattle: Gonzaga University 2000 <http://guweb2.gonzaga.edu/faculty/campbell/enl311/timefram.html>
(SM) Jack London - His Life and Books. Researched
and written by California State Parks Historians <http://www.parks.sonoma.net/JLStory.html>
(PR) An Ongoing Online Project by Paul P. Reuben
<http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap6/london.html>
(DCS) Jack London Biography By Dr. Clarice Stasz
University of Berkley 2001.
<http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/London/jackbio.html>
(BAL) Blanck, Jacob. Bibliography of American Literature:
Volume 5. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1969.
(OCL) Hart, James D. The Oxford Companion to American Literature: Fourth Edition. Oxford Univeristy Press, 1965.